Education

North Andover students protest after dozens of teachers are laid off

While the North Andover School Committee approved a budget increase of 10 percent, it was still $3.5 million short of what was needed to maintain services, the superintendent said.

North Andover High School students stage a walk-out in support of their teachers and programs. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe

By Molly Farrar

March 25, 2025

3 minutes to read

Hundreds of North Andover High School students walked out of class Monday morning to support their teachers, a week after a dozen of their teachers were told they would be laid off at the end of the school year.

The students rallied after a business teacher, a physical education teacher, two special education teachers, one science teacher, five world language teachers, and two behavior analysts were told their jobs were gone next year, according to the educators’ union.

About 40 teaching positions throughout the district were cut due to “significant financial challenges,” Superintendent Pamela Lahtrop said in a statement. The School Committee approved a $68.2 million budget Feb. 25, representing a nearly 10 percent increase from last year.

However, the budget is still $3.5 million short to “maintain current services,” Lahtrop said. Kittredge Elementary School will also be temporarily closed to save money before ultimately rebuilding the school, as previously planned.

On Monday, students rallied on the football field before walking to the district’s administration building. The high schoolers, all wearing red, waved signs like “Support the teachers who support you,” “save our teachers, save our futures,” and “raise your voice.”

“I thought it was important that our teachers saw that their students really do care,” Theresa Lister, a junior who helped organize the demonstration, told The Boston Globe.

Theresa Lister, 16, a junior at North Andover High School, speaks to some of the students after they walked to the School Administration building. – Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

School Committee member Joe Hicks said on Facebook that students at North Andover Middle School, or NAMS, also walked out, including his own children. Hicks, who defeated a last-minute write-in challenger during an election Tuesday, was the only vote against the budget.

At the middle school, the entire world language department was cut, according to the North Andover Teachers Association.

“I’m proud of them,” he wrote. “They wanted to show how much they care for their teachers – in the same way that their teachers care for them. I’m proud of them for being thoughtful about how to use their voice.”

Union says town is ‘thriving,’ Committee Chair says inflation is catching up

The union said that the town is “thriving,” claiming it has “more than $5 million in excess levy capacity, tens of millions in rainy day funds, and millions more each year in excess tax receipts, and historic new growth to its tax base.”

“They are cutting deep into the bone, and it is still baffling as to why. North Andover is a relatively wealthy community, and it currently has the economic means to fully fund its schools,” NATA President and world language teacher Juliette Darmon said.

But, School Committee Chair Alissa Koenig said the district is facing inflation issues that can’t be addressed with the maximum 2.5 percent tax increase allowed year-to-year.

“The School Committee voted to forward a budget to the Town that is nearly a 10% increase over last year’s budget; however, to stay within that budget hard decisions have to be made,” Koenig wrote. “This is not an easy time for North Andover Public Schools. No shifts like these are, but it is the School Committee’s goal to ensure our students continue to receive the exceptional education they deserve.”

In a statement, Assistance Superintendent Kristen Ando praised the students for “their passion, eloquence, motivation, and authentic curiosity” after the walkout.

“The district is committed to working toward a budget that ensures the best possible outcomes for all students. We also committed to ongoing communication with families, staff, and the broader North Andover community as the budget process continues to unfold,” Ando said.

After the Committee’s approval last month, the budget was forwarded to be approved at Town Meeting in May.